Stress-breaking dental attachment



April 3, 1934'. P, J FF 1,953,715"

STRESS BREAKING DENTAL ATTACHMENT Filed Sept.- 2 1931 e FngZ.

Fag. 6.

1N VEN TOR.

PETER JOFFE BY M W A TTORNE Patented Apr. 3, 19341 NHTEZ' rates 4Glaims.

This invention relates to certainimprovements in the art of dentalbridgework, and more particularly concerns itself with an attachment tobe used for stress-breaking purposes for different types of removablebridge dentures. The attachment forming the basis of this inventionwould be classified as a stress-breaking attach: ment, and is employedbetween the removable bridge denture and the clasping or attaching meansconnecting the denture to the abutment tooth in the mouth.

It has been the object of my invention to provide a dental attachmentfor the purpose set forth of improved design, simple and rugged inconstruction. A further object has been to produce an attachment thatwill provide the bridge denture with a universal movement or play, butonly to a limited degree. Too, the provision to readily separate the twomembers of the attachment after the bridge denture has been in use inthe mouth, permitsreplacement of the, parts. Other features of thisinvention will be apparent in the description following.

A practical embodiment of the device forming the substance of myinventionis represented in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1shows the separate members of my attachment in perspective.

Fig. 2 shows a View of the L-bar member in elevation and section.

. Fig. 3 shows a Viewv of a clasp bridge denture utilizing my attachmentin perspective.

Fig. 4 shows a fragmentary view or" the attachment in section.

Fig. 5 shows a plan view of the attachment mounted on a clasp.

Fig. 6 shows an elevational View of the attachment mounted on a clasp.

Fig. 7 shows a perspective view of the L-bar member in conjunction witha removable bridge attachment.

Fig. 8 shows a view of the U-socket member in perspective.

In the drawing my attachment has been shown in the form as would beemployed in conjunction with a clasp removable bridge denture. Itsposition between the clasp and bridge denture, acts to break themasticatory stress and strain that would ordinarily be transmitteddirectly against the abutment tooth gripped by the clasp.

In Fig. 1 are shown the two main members comprising my device. TheL-shaped bar is formed of a vertical arm 1 made integral with a shorterhorizontal arm 2. The horizontal arm 2 is oval in section and thevertical arm 1 is semioval in section. The fiat side forms the outersurface of the vertical arm 1, while the inner surface of the L-bar iscontinuously oval throughout the length of both arms. The clasp isjoined, preferably by solder, to the upper extremity of the vertical arm1, against the flat surface, reference being had to Figures 3 and 5.

The L-shaped bar supporting the clasp is connected to the bridge denturethrough the U- shaped socket 3. To accomplish this the distance betweenthe two prongs forming the U-shaped socket 3 is made such as to receivethe horizontal arm 2 of the L-bar. The socket 3 is permanently mountedupon the bridge denture in a substantially horizontal plane.

There is shown in this instance, reference being, had to Fig. 4-, thescrew 4. as the means for holding the arm 2 of the L-bar in engagementwithin the U-socket 3. This screw 4 is seated in the aligned threadedholes 5, positioned substantially centrally through each prong of theU-socket 3. A correspondingly positioned through hole 6, of slightlylarger diameter than that of the screw 4, is provided in the horizontalarm 2 of the L-bar.

The case of a removable denture employing the clasps '7 and 8 as theretaining means for the bridge in the mouth is shown in Fig. 3. Theartificial teeth on the denture are indicated by 9 and 10, while theabutment teeth in the mouth to which the bridge is anchored are shown by11 and 12. It is the purpose of my design of attachment to provide themeans for breaking the stress that would ordinarily be transmitted bythese clasps 7 and 8 against the respective abutment teeth 11 and 12.The method of application of the attachment, taking the instance of theclasp '7 at the right, would be as follows. The clasp is mounted againstthe flat surface at the upper end of the arm 1 of the L-bar, preferablyby soldering. In this position the L-bar hangs suspended from the clasp,with the horizontal arm 2 pointing in a direction opposite to the planeof the clasp, reference being had to Fig. 3. The U-socket 3 is mounted,preferably too by soldering, on the saddle structure 13 of the bridgedenture, in a substantially horizontal plane. The saddle is here assumedfabricated of gold. The relative positions of the L-bar and U-socketwhen mounted is such that, when the two members of the attachment areconnected, the clasp 7 and the saddle 13 will be seated in their properrelationship in the mouth. In this position the horizontal arm 2 will beseated in the U-socket 3, and it is retained so by the locking screw 4.The screw 4 is inserted through the threaded opening in the lower prongof the socket, and this portion of the socket is kept free of the saddlestructure, so that the screw may be readily inserted or removed. It isevident, referring to Figures 1 and 4, that too much movement or playbetween the L-bar and U-socket may be eliminated by tightening the screw4, thereby drawing up the lower prong of the socket. The technique forthe application of my attachment is well understood to those skilled inthis art, and has therefore not beengiven in detail herein.

In the application of the attachment just described and as is shown inFig. 3, it is noted that the bridge denture hangs suspended by the L-barfrom the clasps. Suspended so, the denture is capable of a limitedrocking and rotatable movement, by virtue of the oval formation of thehorizontal arm 2 of the L-bar. The free end of the arm 2 has been shownrounded off to provide a slight up and down movement for the denture.The summation of these movements is equivalent to a universal movementor play for the denture.

In designing the L-bar with the outer surface of the vertical arm fiat,it has been the aim to provide as narrow as practical a width of L-barat the location where it is employed. The inner surface of the verticalarm 1, lying adjacent to an artificial tooth on the denture, is formedoval in shape that no impediment may be offered against thestress-breaking play. The flat surface of the vertical arm 1 wouldextend down to merge into the under oval surface of the horizontal arm2, preferably just above the bend of the L-bar. This portion of theL-bar can readily be positioned free of any tooth surface.

In Fig. 1 the U-shaped socket 3 is assumed milled out of a rectangularblock, this being a desired construction. It may however be just as vreadily formed by bending a flat sheet of the proper length and widthinto a U-form as shown in Fig. 8. The material of the different parts ofthe attachment would be of any of the goldplatinum alloys manufacturedfor this class of devices. For cases of rubber dentures instead of thegold denture illustrated in Fig. 3, the application of my attachmentwould prove just as effective, and the technique for its use in thattype of denture is too well understood by those skilled in this art.

In the foregoing I have confined the application of my attachment to aremovable denture employing clasps as the attaching means in the mouth.This invention may just as readily be used in conjunction with any ofthe other attachment means as are at present employed for removablebridge dentures, where a stress-breaking movement is required. Insteadof soldering the clasp to the vertical arm 1 of the L-bar, any otherattachment member may be similarly mounted thereon. In Fig. 7 is shownin simple form the co-operating member of the common T-class ofremovable bridge attachments. The procedure in this instance would be tojoin, preferably by soldering, the shank 14 of the attachment to thevertical arm 1 of the L-bar. The remaining part of the technique wouldbe practically the same as outlined hereinbefore for the clasp denture.

Having described the construction and application of the devicecomprising my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a denture attachment of the character described, an L-bar membercomprising a vertical semi-oval arm made integral with an horizontaloval arm provided with an opening therethrough, a U-socket memberdisposed substantially horizontally to engage with the horizontal arm ofthe L-bar provided with a threaded opening in each prong thereof and ascrew member to engage within the said openings in the L-bar andU-socket.

2. In a denture attachment of the character described, a U-socket membercomprising two prongs each provided with a threaded opening adapted tobe permanently mounted in a substantially horizontal plane upon thebridge denture, an L-bar member provided with a horizontal oval armhaving an opening therethrough adapted to engage between the said prongsof the U-socket in movable relationship and a screw member to beinserted through the said opening of the U-socket and L-bar to lock thesaid members in movable engagement.

3. In a denture attachment of the character described, an L-bar membercomprising a vertical semi-oval arm adapted to permanently mount a claspagainst the fiat surface thereof, a U-socket member seated horizontallyon the bridge denture adapted to engage the horizontal oval arm of theL-bar to give the said denture a limited universal movement and a screwmember inserted from the bottom through co-operative openings in theU-socket and L-bar members.

4. In a denture attachment of the character described, a U-socket memberopened at both ends laterally and at the front adapted to be permanentlyseated on a bridge denture with the open section in a substantiallyhorizontal plane, an L-bar member with a vertical arm permanentlysupporting a clasp and a horizontal arm of oval section adapted toengage within the open section of the U-socket in a movable relationshipand a screw member inserted from the bottom through co-operativeopenings in the U-socket and L-bar members.

PETER JOFFFL.

